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Water ecological and environmental protection is of great significance to improving the quality of life of the people and promoting high-quality development of the economy. What changes have taken place in China's water ecosystems and environments over the past decade? What will be done next? Thank you.

Huang Runqiu:

Thank you for your question. I have just talked about the water environments in China. Water is one of the most basic elements of our environment. It is the aspiration of the people for a better environment and also a goal that our environmental protection workers strive for. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, we have acted upon the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and launched programs on the prevention and control of water pollution with the strongest resolve and most effective measures, bringing about transformative changes in the protection of water ecosystems and environments. These changes can be generalized into three aspects.

First, water ecological and environmental protection and governance system has been improved. We have revised the Law on the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, formulated and revised a series of laws and regulations such as the Yangtze River Protection Law, and developed over 20 relevant discharge standards of pollutants, consolidating the legal basis for water ecological and environmental protection of water bodies. We have seized the opportunity for institutional reform and set up water ecosystems and environmental regulatory agencies in seven major river basins, strengthening unified regulation over water ecological and environmental protection. The total number of state-controlled water sections increased from 1,940 to 3,641 during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, achieving full coverage of 10 major river basins, cities at and above the prefecture level, provincial and municipal borders of important water bodies, and important water functional zones. We have promoted the establishment of compensation mechanisms for the ecological conservation of river basins that span provinces. In recent years, we have launched trials for provinces situated on the upper and lower reaches of river basins compensating each other for ecological conservation in 13 river basins, such as Xin'an River and Chishui River, in 18 provinces, including Anhui province and Zhejiang province, developing well-coordinated governance between the upper and lower reaches and the left and right banks.

Second, our efforts to keep water clear have made significant progress. Concerning the protection and restoration of the Yangtze River basin, a total of more than 60,000 sewage outfalls into the Yangtze River have been identified. Over 16,000 illegal problems have been addressed through quick action, focusing on controlling the pollution of phosphorite mines, phosphorite chemical enterprises, and phosphogypsum warehouses and improving the water quality of state-controlled water sections with ratings lower than Grade V. The water quality of the Yangtze River's main stream reached Grade II standard or above for two consecutive years. In terms of the protection and improvement of the Yellow River basin ecosystems, we have identified about 17,000 sewage outfalls in the upper and some of the middle reaches of river basins, with the water quality of the Yellow River's main stream reaching Grade III standard or above. To improve water environments in cities, we have done a great deal of work with relevant departments over the years. We have carried out targeted actions for environmental protection to clean up black, malodorous water bodies in cities and generally eliminated 295 black, malodorous water bodies in built-up areas of cities at and above the prefecture level. In the past, black, malodorous water in cities were problems that concerned the people. Now they have been transformed into beautiful landscapes. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the number of newly-built sewer networks at and above the prefecture level reached 99,000 kilometers, which is equivalent to over twice the length of the Earth's equator. Over 1,200 industrial parks at and above the provincial level have realized centralized sewage treatment. To ensure of drinking water safety, we have launched a special campaign on protecting the environment in centralized drinking-water source areas nationwide, identifying and addressing over 10,000 problems in 2,804 water-supply sources, ensuring more secure drinking water sources for the people.

Third, positive progress has been made in the protection and restoration of river and lake ecosystems. We have strengthened the protection and restoration of river and lake shorelines. In the battle to protect and restore the Yangtze River, 162 kilometers of shorelines of the Yangtze River have been restored, and over 12 million square meters of beaches have been covered with plants. The Yangtze River shorelines has significantly improved. For eutrophic lakes such as Taihu Lake, Chaohu Lake, Dianchi Lake, and Erhai Lake, we have accelerated the industrial restructuring around the lakes, turned more polders into lakes, strictly regulated and controlled emissions of nitrogen and phosphorus, and addressed agricultural pollution from non-point sources, effectively controlling illegal activities such as land reclamation from lakes, encroachment on lake shorelines, and illegal sand mining. 

Just as we mentioned earlier, with our efforts, transformative changes have taken place in water quality in China over the past decade. A large number of typical examples of water pollution prevention and control have also emerged in various places. For instance, the water quality of Baiyangdian Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in the North China Plain, had long been below Grade V in the past. Since the establishment of the Xiong'an New Area, Hebei province has resolutely implemented General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on restoring and protecting Baiyangdian Lake and has been committed to making "three-sphere" integrated plans for water replenishment, pollution prevention and control, and flood control, and advancing them in a coordinated way. In 2021, the water quality of Baiyangdian Lake and rivers that empty into the lake reached Grade III standard, achieving a great leap from below Grade V to Grade III. As you can see in this picture, viewed from water quality and ecological landscapes along the lakeshore, Baiyangdian Lake has become a beautiful landscape and harmony between nature and water. Some indigenous fishes, such as rhodeussinensis, which have not been seen in Baiyangdian Lake for years, are gradually recovering. And the number of wild bird species has increased to 237. The ecological beauty of groups of fishes and shrimps and flocks of flying water birds has reappeared. The pearl of the North China Plain shines brilliantly again. In 2021, 18 cases nationwide were listed in the first group of excellent cases of beautiful rivers and lakes, setting an illustrious example.

Entering the new stage of development, we will shift the focus of water ecological and environmental protection from the prevention and control of water pollution to the coordinated protection of water resources, water ecosystems, and water environments. In particular, we will make greater efforts to protect and restore water ecosystems, strengthen the weak points, improve the quality and efficiency of our actions, and take further steps to advance water ecological and environmental protection, laying a solid foundation for building a beautiful China. Thank you.

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